


Second Chance

by Sonadow182



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Family, Forgiveness, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Love, School, bullied, cut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28636710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sonadow182/pseuds/Sonadow182
Summary: Forced to work for a government company with little pay. Rejected from schools for a better education. Bullied and ridiculed on the streets every day. No friends, no family, and after Rouge kicks him out, no home. These are the mistreatings of Shadow the Hedgehog. Things will never change, he believes, until one young woman, with a past of her own, gives him the second chance no-one else will.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

The rain poured from the sky like a torrent, hitting against my exposed body a million times a second. Each drop felt heavier than the last, drenching my fur until it was completely stuck to my body and I looked like some kind of underfed stray dog.

Once again, for the past year, I was on my way to work. The horrendous and ungrateful government company known as G.U.N. Ever since the defeat of my father, Black Doom, and his army of Black Arms, I’ve been forced to work for G.U.N and its Commander to pay off my debts to the city of Station Square, as I was partly responsible for the invasion.

The pay isn’t really that well, I barely get enough to pay off rent to Rouge for letting me stay at her apartment. I get treated with such disrespect, and if I snap at my co-workers or show any sign of rebellion I’m punished, like some child. Technically I am only 15 years old, but the Commander doesn’t care about my age.

To him, I am a monster.

To him, I am a weapon to be used.

To him, I am his property.

To him… I am the reason my best friend and sister, Maria Robotnik, is dead.

“Maria…” I sigh in melancholy as I step up to the front doors of the military building. “If you could see me now, what would you say?”

I wait a moment in silence, as if I'm expecting an answer. I sigh again as I get none. Of course I wouldn’t get an answer. What kind of childish fantasy was I thinking?

I stand under the port, shaking my body as I try to dry myself as much as I can, my fur poofing up in some places, before I open the glass door and step in. My body tenses up and my fur stands on end from the chilliness of the air conditioned building, the water on my skin now feeling like ice. I hug myself, trying to warm up as I walk up to the front desk to clock in. The receptionist, a pretty young lady with green eyes and dark hair, looks up at me from her paperwork, raising her eyebrow in what appears to be confusion.

“Shadow? What are you doing here?” She asks me.

“What do you mean? I work here.” I roll my eyes. Is she trying to be funny?

She laughs, it sounds like the beautiful chimes of little bells. The receptionist, whose name I never got, was the only one that was ever nice to me. “I know that, silly. But it's your day off.”

“You must be mistaken. I don’t get days off.” It's true. Since I started working at G.U.N I haven’t had a single day off. I'm forced to work 12 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week, with such little pay. I’m lucky to even get an hour to relax.

The receptionist shakes her head. “You do now. It's the Law of Labor. Every employee must have at least one day off a week, even you, Shadow. The Commander may not like you very much, but he can’t deny that you are an employee here, and therefore, the law requires you as well.”

I was stunned. I actually had the day off, by requirement of law.

But… what do I do now? I've never done anything besides work. What could I possibly occupy myself with?   
  
The receptionist smiled at me. “Go on. Go home and enjoy yourself. Or, rather that, you’re 15, right? It’s Wednesday at 9am. You should be in school anyway.”

I lower my ears a bit and sigh.

She's right. Technically I should be in school. By my age, I should at least be starting 9th grade, the freshman year. Ever since Maria and I talked about possibly going to school someday I've wanted to go. I still wanna go. There is still so much I can learn. But sadly, I've already tried.

I've been around the world, trying to enroll into every high school and freshman academy there is, but none would except me. With my reputation and permanent records they don't trust me.

It's alright though… I wouldn't trust me either.

The receptionist smiled and waved her hand at me. "Go on now. Shoo. I don't wanna see you back here until tomorrow morning."

"Yes ma'am." I nod and head back outside into the pouring rain. I guess she didn't notice that I didn't have an umbrella with me.

I sign again and head back to the apartment. There was not much else that I could do. I can't go to work. I can't go to school. I don't have any friends, or any family.

Life sucks.

I get back to the apartments and head upstairs to the one that I share with Rouge. As I approach the door, I notice something odd. There’s a cardboard box on the welcome mat, and a note on the door.

Strange. We weren’t expecting any package.

I go up to the door and frown in confusion as I realize that the box is full of what little items I have. Fearing the worst, I grab the note off of the door and start reading.

_ Dear Shadow, _

_ I’m sorry that this has come so short notice, but I’m unfortunately gonna have to evict you. Bea found out that I was letting you live here, and she said that if I was gonna have a roommate, especially if it's you, she was gonna have to raise the rent. I can’t afford that and I know you can’t help with that. Again I’m really sorry. I hope we can still be friends. _

_ Love, Rouge _

I crumbled up the note and placed my back against the door, trying to control my emotions. Suddenly my body was sliding to the floor and I was crying into my knees.

This was the worst thing that could happen to me.

I didn’t make enough money to afford my own place to stay. I had no other friends that would possibly let me live with them. And I have no family to support me either. I know it wasn’t Rouge’s fault, but I still couldn’t help but feel betrayed.

Being kicked out was the punch to my gut that just… broke me.

Sobbing as softly as I could so nobody could hear me, I picked up the box containing my belongings and left the apartment building, stepping out in the chilling cold rain again.

At least the rain would cover my tears.

**…**

My body was shivering by the time night fell. The rain had not stopped, and I was soaked to the bone. I have been walking around all day, trying to find a place where I could stay, but I was having no such luck.

The Soup Kitchens kicked me out. I was declared a spawn of Satan by churches helping the homeless. I wasn’t even welcomed in the alleyways habited by actual homeless drug addicts.

I was on my own.

I was cold, hungry, and tired. I looked pathetic, but still, all I got were a bunch of dirty looks.

Nobody cares about the black and red 15 year old hedgehog who almost killed everybody.

Suddenly, I sneezed and started coughing really bad. Great. Now I was sick from being in the rain all day. I needed a place to rest and fast.

Finally, I came up to an alleyway that was completely empty, save for the dumpsters and broken pieces of sharp objects on the ground.

I set my box down by the entrance and sat down beside it. I searched in the box and pulled out a thick blue blanket. It wasn’t much, but it was still relatively warm. It was wrapped up around something. Curious, I unwrapped it, and what I saw immediately brought tears to my eyes.

It was a picture of Maria, smiling brightly at the camera, with a four year old me on her shoulders.

We looked so happy in this photo, as if nothing in the world could bring us down. We were so naive. Now Maria was dead, and I was a bum on the street.

I sniffed and wiped my tears away, gently laying the picture frame back in the box. After that, I wrapped the blanket around myself and tried to go to sleep.

Trying to fall asleep in the cold rain while also being ill was not an easy feat. I at last managed to get comfortable, but I still couldn't sleep, too cold and sick to do so.

I was just starting to drift off when I suddenly heard the pitter patter of little paws on the wet concrete, followed by the heavy footsteps of a human adult. The footsteps suddenly stopped in front of me, but I dare not open my eyes. I hear the barking of a small lap dog in front of me… and then for the first time, I hear your voice.

“Reuben, shhh. Down boy.” You scold your dog. I remain still as you come closer. I hear you coo in pity as I sneeze. “Oh you poor thing.”

I suddenly feel you wrap your arms around me, swaddling me with my own blanket. I’m small enough to fit in one arm. You position me that way so that you can pick up my box, then you start walking.

You’re so warm and gentle, I can’t help but purr. You chuckle a little, it sounds beautiful.

“Don’t worry.” You say as I finally fall asleep in your warm embrace. “I’ll take care of you.”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

I suddenly wake up in a plain white room, tucked in a nice warm bed in a nice warm house. There’s not much to look at in this room. It's a standard bedroom with a bed, dresser, mirror, and bedside table with a lamp. My box of belongings is settled nicely under the table. It actually seems to be in a proper plastic container now, as the cardboard box was falling apart in the rain.

I’m confused. Where am I? Who brought me here? Who was showing me such kindness?

“A-A-ACHOO!” I sneezed. I’m still sick.

My ill sound seems to have alerted someone as I hear footsteps coming to the bedroom. Nervous, I try to bury myself deeper under the covers, but I feel too hot to do so. Suddenly, the door softly opens, and there you are, looking at me with kind but worried green eyes, a small smile on your pale face, haloed by your dark auburn hair in a loose ponytail. You look to be in your early twenties. 22 at most. You’re wearing khaki pants and white socks. Your arms and torso are covered by a black sweater that seems a little too hot on you, but you don’t seem to mind.

You smile at me. “How are you feeling, Shadow?”

I frown at you. I’m a little suspicious. Why would you care about how I was feeling?

“I’m fine.” I tell you, and then I’m suddenly coughing really bad. It sounds sickly, like something nasty was gurgling in the back of my throat. I hear your footsteps speed away. I didn’t see where you went, but then suddenly, you’re coming back.

I watch, still coughing, as you calmly come up to my side, holding a small medicine cup filled with a dark purple fluid I can only guess is cough syrup.

“Here, take this.” You tell me, handing me the medicine. I take it without complaint and swallow it down. It tastes horrible, but I know it will help. “Good boy.” You say as you take the cup away.

Ignoring that remark, I ask you for your name.

“Callie. Callie McCormick.”

“How long have I been here?”

“A day and a half.”

My eyes widen and I start to panic. I’ve missed a whole day and a half of work! Commander Towers was gonna have my head on a spike!

I start trying to push the covers off myself, but you stop me. “Whoa, whoa. What’s your rush?”

“I need to get to work! I get paid little enough working at G.U.N, I can’t afford to have my pay docked for missing work.”

“Take it easy Shadow, I already informed G.U.N of your condition yesterday morning.”

“What?”

“They’re giving you a few days to recover. You don’t have to go back to work until the day after tomorrow.”

I sigh in relief, knowing I don’t have to go to work. “Thank you.”

You smile at me. “No problem.” Then you ask, “Are you hungry?”

I was about to say no, but my stomach answers for me, begging loudly for food. I hadn’t eaten anything in almost three days. I was starving.

I blush as I also notice something else about my body. A more personal problem.

“Where’s your bathroom?” I ask, causing that beautiful chuckle of yours to erupt.

“Down the hall, first door on your right.” You answer. “When you’re finished, come downstairs for dinner.”

You leave after that and don’t come back. You’re probably setting up the table as I hear dishes and silverware being placed on the table. I push the covers off me and get up to go to the bathroom.

Laying in bed for almost two days I’m practically bursting. I rush to the toilet and quickly do my business. Afterwards I wash my hands and leave the bathroom. Something smells good downstairs and it makes my stomach growl again. Hungry and curious, I follow the smell downstairs into a small dining room. I see you at the table, pouring a ladleful of potato soup into a bowl, setting it next to a tea plate holding a slice of French Bread. You look up at me and smile.

“Go ahead. Sit down and eat.”

I don’t know what else to do but obey, so I sit down and pick up the spoon, using it to sip on the soup of creamy potatoes and broth. It’s delicious and feels soothing on my throat. I can’t help but think that you made this on purpose for my benefit.

We eat in silence until my suspicions get the better of me.

“What am I doing here?”

You pause for a moment before answering. “I was walking Reuben when we found you in an alleyway.” You point to a little dog bed by the doorway. There’s a small black and white dog, a cross-breed between a Dachshund and a Terrier, wearing airplane doggy pajamas, laying in it, looking up at me with his dark eyes. Cute little thing. “It was obvious that you were cold and sick. I felt horrible seeing you that way. I couldn’t just leave you there.”

“Why not?”

You don’t answer. You seem to close off at the question. I see you gripping the cuffs of your sweater. I can’t help but feel like you’re hiding something.

You quickly disregard my question and ask your own. “What were you doing there anyway?”

“... I was living with Rouge, but she kicked me out.”

“Why?”

“Because everybody hates me.” Saying it out loud seems to make my heart hurt. I can feel a lump growing in my throat as I try to hold back my emotions. I will not allow myself to cry in front of you. The Ultimate Lifeform doesn’t cry… at least not in front of anyone.

I see you smile warmly at me as you reach your hand across the small table and gently grab mine, rubbing your thumb over my knuckles. Confused, I look up at you with a questioning gaze.

“I don’t hate you.”

I stay silent after that. I don’t know what to say. I continue eating my supper and eventually you do the same.

After dinner I’m suddenly tired. I can only guess it’s because of my illness. I can barely keep my eyes open. You suddenly pick me up and carry me upstairs back to the bedroom where I first woke up. You set me down on the bed, and before I knew it, you were putting a pair of soft white pajamas on me.

They’re so soft and warm that I don’t complain about it as you guide my tail and back quills into the makeshift holes. You then tuck me into bed and kiss my forehead.

“Goodnight Shadow.” You say as you turn out the light and close the door.

I’m still curious about you and your intentions as I fall asleep.

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

I wake up late at night shivering. I feel cold, but at the same time, I feel hot and sweaty. I feel something on my head and I look over, seeing you there, pressing a cold wet rag to my forehead.

“Callie?” I ask weakly. When did I get this bad?

“Shhh.” You whisper, dabbing my head a bit. “It’s ok. You’re just running a fever.”

A fever. Great.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask again. “Why are you taking care of me? I can take care of myself you know.”

You look sad as you answer. “A child should not be left on his own.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Shadow, anyone who’s smart enough realizes that you're still technically 15 years old. And that, sweetheart, makes you a child.”

I can’t help but smile and chuckle a bit. You’re the first one besides the receptionist at G.U.N to recognize me as a child.

You smile and rewet the rag in a bowl of ice water. You wring it out and press it back on my forehead. I hitch my breath at the coldness before calming down. It actually feels really good.

“Do you go to school?” You suddenly ask.

“No.” I answer almost sadly. You seem to pick up on it.

“Do you want to?” My silence seems to be a good enough answer for you as you nod. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to. I insist.” You say before putting the rag down and softly petting my head. I have the strongest urge to purr. Your petting feels so good, but I keep myself under control. “What about G.U.N? Do you like working for them?”

I scoff, almost feeling insulted as I sit up. “Hardly. Even though I work for them, they still treat me like a criminal. You know to them I basically still don’t have any rights. They treat me like a child. They treat me like a weapon. They treat me as if I’m not a living breathing person. You know the day you found me was my only day off I’ve ever had while working there? And that’s only because the Commander got in trouble for working me 24/7. I’m not a person to them. I’m a thing. I’d die for a chance to stop working for them and live my own life, but unfortunately, since the invasion, I have a debt to pay to them, and I highly doubt I’ll ever be able to work it off, because they’ll never let me go.”

I huffed and laid back down. It felt good to get all that off my chest. I looked at you to see your reaction. You look horrified. Oh no. Did I say something wrong? Are you gonna kick me out and call me an abomination as well? But then, you smile and kiss my forehead again.

“Try and get some sleep. I’m sure things will be better tomorrow.”

I don’t know what you mean by that, but I’m tired anyway, so I take your advice and go back to sleep.

**…**

I wake up the next morning feeling much better. The care you have given me seems to have cured my illness. I sit up in bed and stretch, waking myself up. I then look to the clock, and panic spreads through me.

It was 10:30! I’m extremely late for work!

I throw the covers off me and get out of bed, rushing to get ready for work. In my rush, I struggle to pull the white pajama shirt off over my head, getting it stuck in my quills. As I try to pull it off I keep knocking into things, creating a lot of the noise. Naturally, that noise draws your attention, and you come rushing into the bedroom.

“Shadow, what on Earth are you doing?” You ask me.

“I’m getting ready for work.” I tell you, finally getting the shirt off, and without any tears too. “I’m late enough as it is. Towers’ is gonna have my head if I delay any longer!”

You give me a soft smile. Its beautiful on your face, but I hardly pay attention to it as I pull my shoes on. “Shadow, you don’t have to go to work, remember?”

“I know you said that I’ve been given until tomorrow to recover, but I’m feeling better now, so I don’t really have a choice.”

“You do now. You don’t work at G.U.N anymore.”

I freeze as you say that, turning to you with wide eyes. I’m hoping that it's a joke, but deep down, I’m also hoping it's not. You smile at me and walk into the room, gently taking my hand and walking us over to the bed, sitting us both down.

“I went to G.U.N earlier this morning to convince Commander Towers to let you go.” You start. “At first, he laughed his ass off, thinking that I was joking. But as soon as I threw out the fact of your technical age and Child Labor laws he seemed to change his mind real quick. My guess is that he doesn’t really want to deal with legal issues.”

My shock remained as I stared at you. I couldn’t believe you would go out and do such a thing for me. I was happy and relieved, but at the same time, I was scared and angry.

“How could you?” I hissed at you, frowning angrily. “I didn’t ask you to get me out of that job!”

Your eyes widened in surprise and I felt a little guilty for being cross with you, but my anger overpowered that guilt. “I don’t understand. You told me you hated working there.”

“I do, or I did, but it was my only source of income, despite how little it was. How am I supposed to support myself now without a job?!”

“Ah, I see.” You smile at me. Why are you smiling?! “Don’t worry. You don’t have to stress about that anymore. I’ll support you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to take care of you.” You tell me, petting my head.

I growl at the touch and duck away from it, fixing you with a hard glare. “Why? Why would you want to bother yourself with taking care of me? Do you not know of the things I’ve done? I’ve worked with Eggman. I’ve tried to kill Sonic. I nearly destroyed this planet with the Dark Arms! Why would you want ANYTHING to do with me?!”

You remain silent, staring at me with sadness in your eyes. You sigh and look away, staring at your hands. Finally, you speak, and your answer leaves me speechless. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

I remain silent, unsure of what else to say. The silence between us is awkward and deafening. I hate it. You seem to as well as you stand up, still not looking at me.

“I managed to convince the local high school to accept you as a student.” You tell me. “We’ll need to go out to get your school supplies. We’ll go to the mall later and have lunch before we start shopping… come downstairs when you’re ready.”

I watch you in shock as you leave the room. You… actually got me into school. Something that I’ve always wanted. You got me out of G.U.N, something else I’ve always wanted. And how did I repay you?

By being an asshole… like I always am.

You didn’t deserve that. You DON’T deserve that. You have been nothing but kind to me when anybody else would’ve spat at me.

You deserve an apology.

I stand up from the bed and quietly make my way downstairs, following your scent. I hear you putting dishes away in the kitchen, so I turn that way. I step into the kitchen, standing in the doorway. You don’t notice me, not right away. Your gaze is set on a small carving knife.

You stare at it for an awfully long time. I don’t like the way you’re looking at it. Reuben seems to not like it either as suddenly, the little dog barks, snapping you out of whatever trance you were in. You shake your head and put the knife away.

“... Callie?”

You jump a bit before turning to look at me. I can see the fear in your eyes. You know I caught you with the knife, but I decide not to say anything about it.

“I’m sorry.” I say instead. “That hostility was uncalled for and you didn’t deserve it. I thank you for getting me out of G.U.N and into school.”

You smile at me before approaching me. You kneel down to my height and wrap your arms over my shoulders in a hug. I tense up, not used to physical affection.

“It’s alright.” You whisper in my ear. “I know this is all new to you, but we’ll get through it. Together. I won’t abandon you.”

I smile a bit. I… might be able to get used to this.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

I take a sip from my half empty cup of coca-cola as we walk around the Parkdale Mall. When we got to the mall, we went to the food court to have lunch like you said we would. You had asked me what I would like and my attention was drawn over to Panda Express.

I had never had chinese food before, and I was curious to see what it tasted like. The menus were a bit hard to understand, but I had eventually settled for sweet and sour chicken with fried rice and something called Chow Mein Noodles. It was really good!   
  


You had ordered the beef and broccoli with fried rice and an egg drop soup. You also ordered two crab rangoons and an order of sugar bons. You let me try your food and I enjoyed it too. I had expected the egg drop soup to be slimy, given by its name, but it was actually smooth and tasted more like chicken than it did egg. The crab rangoons were full of flavor with the crab meat and cream cheese. Personally, the sugar bons were my favorite. They were like donuts holes covered in real sugar!

I wasn’t a real fan of the fortune cookies at the end, but the little pieces of paper inside were inspiring.

Your’s had said “Big journeys begin with a single step.”

Mine had said “You will become great if you believe in yourself.”

Huh, interesting.

For some reason I had liked it so much that I saved it and stuffed it into my glove where I knew I would never lose it.   
  
“Thank you for lunch.” I say to you as we leave the food court.

You smile at me. “It’s no trouble at all, Shadow.”

I smile a bit and finish the rest of my soda before throwing it away in a nearby recycling bin. “So, where to now?”

“Well I suppose we should head over to Old Navy.” You suggest. “The school has a pretty strict dress code and you’ll need some school clothes to follow it.”

I lower my ears a bit at the idea of wearing clothes. I vaguely remember playing dress up with Maria before, but that was when she made me wear dresses. I couldn’t imagine what it must be like to wear actual jeans and a shirt.

You seem to notice my discomfort as you place a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. You can pick out whatever you like.”

“But what if it's not school appropriate?”

“Then you can wear it around the house.”

I sigh, realizing I don’t have much of a choice. I nod and the two of us walk into the clothing store.

You help me pick out a few clothes I can wear at school. Some t-shirts and matching jeans. I try them on in the changing room to make sure that they actually fit and were comfortable for me. Most of these clothes were gonna need to have holes cut in the back for my tail and quills, but in other words, they looked really nice. It felt a little weird to be wearing clothes, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

Like you said, you let me pick out something I liked. Nothing really caught my attention, until I saw a black shirt with a picture of Rick and Morty on it, holding their middle fingers up like they did in the episode where they went into the car battery. In big bold letters underneath the picture it said “Peace Among Worlds”. I couldn’t help but laugh and asked if I could get it.

You chuckled and said I could, but it would have to be an at home shirt only. I was completely fine with that.

After you had paid for the clothes we went over to Micheal’s to get my school supplies. I thought it would be a little hard to get the things I needed in an arts and crafts store, but I was quickly proven wrong as we got my pencils, erasers, pens, notebooks, and even a binder.

We had split up to find everything I needed to do my school work. I was in a section away from you, looking at scissors, when I heard a very familiar, and very annoying, voice behind me.

“Shadow, is that you?”

I sigh and turn to face him, an annoyed frown already on my face. “Hello, Faker.”

“Hey, it is you!” Sonic chuckled for some unknown reason. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“The feeling is mutual. What are you doing here? You don’t seem the type to sit around and craft.”

“Oh, I’m not getting craft supplies.” He blushed, holding up his basket. “I’m actually getting school supplies.”

My eyes widened a bit when he said that. I looked at his basket and noticed that it was full of a lot of the same stuff you and I have grabbed. I looked at his other hand, and that’s when I noticed an Old Navy shopping bag. He must’ve gotten some school clothes too.

I shake my head and fix him with a stare. “Why are you getting school supplies?”

He suddenly became very sheepish, looking down with a light blush. It was odd. I’ve never seen him act this way before.

“Because I’m starting 9th grade this coming Monday.” He said. “When there are no more bad guys to fight, I’m gonna need a job to support Tails and I, and I can’t really do that without an education.”

I nodded. It made perfect sense. He then looked at the basket in my hand and smiled. “So you’re getting school supplies too?”

I blush a bit and try to hide the basket, but it was no use. He had already seen the supplies I had gotten. I sighed and nodded. “Yes… I also am starting 9th grade on Monday.”

“No way! Which school?”

“The local high school.”

“Me too!” He started getting really hyper, that was normal. “I’ve heard such good things about Lumberton High. This is gonna be awesome! Imagine it! The two fastest hedgehogs in school together! We could join the track team if we wanted! They wouldn’t dare turn us down!”

I smiled a bit. He seemed really excited to start going to school, just like I was. The only difference between him and I is that I kept my excitement contained.

“Oh wait.” He suddenly frowned, looking at me. “What about your job? Will G.U.N allow you to work part-time so you can actually attend school?”

“I don’t have to worry about that anymore.” I crossed my arms and smirked. “I don’t work for them anymore.”

“No way! How’d you get them to let you go?”

“Well…”

“Shadow? Did you get everything you needed?”

I turned to look at you and smiled, nodding my head. “Yes, Callie. I have everything.”

“Callie?” Sonic tilted his head in confusion, looking between the two of us.

I sigh and decide to introduce you two. “Callie, this is Sonic. I’m sure you’ve heard plenty about him. He’s apparently going to be starting school with me.”

“Oh how nice.” You smile at him. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sonic.”

“Sonic, this is Callie McCormick, a new… acquaintance of mine.” I wasn’t quite ready to call you my friend yet. If you were offended, you didn’t show it. “She’s the one that got me out of G.U.N and into school.”

“Pleasure to meet you too, ma’am.” He smiled, shaking your hand. He then smiled and looked at me. “Hey, you know what Shads? After we pay for all this stuff, we’re still gonna need backpacks. There’s a store right down the hall that sells them. I think you’ll really like it.”

“Really? What’s it called?” I ask as the three of us go up to the checkout counter.

“Hot Topic.”

“Funny, Rouge also said I would like it.”

“Can’t hurt to check it out.”

I sigh and nod in agreement. Once everything was paid for, Sonic grabbed my arm and started pulling me down the hall. I growl a bit and rip my arm away from him. “I’m right behind you, hedgehog. I’m not going anywhere. I don’t need to be manhandled.”

As usual, my rudeness did not dampen his mood.

“Sorry Shads. I’m just really excited. I can’t believe we’re going to school together.” Suddenly,he lowered his ears and hung his head a bit, shyly trying to dig his toe of his sneaker into the floor. “I… kinda thought I would be alone on the first day.”

That… surprised me. Why would the most social butterfly I know be afraid of being alone on the first day of school? I sigh and nudge him a bit. “Well you don’t have to worry about that now. I’ll be right beside you.”

“And same to you, Shads.” He smiled, his mood right back up again. Chaos he was like a bouncy ball. “Now come on. We’re almost there.”

We start walking again and I follow him to a little store filled with a bunch of miscellaneous items all promoting a type of fandom, the most popular seeming to be some kind of robot in a green dog costume.

As I look around I do start to feel a little impressed. This store had merchandise of just about every popular fandom I know. Even merchandise promoting the Syfy movie, Sharknado!   
  
Sonic and I are in the back, looking at different backpacks when suddenly, I hear him shout in glee.

“Ah yes! I didn’t think they sold anything for this fandom!”

“What is it?” I ask him. He then holds up the backpack he found. It has a picture of two adult men posing in front of a black Chevy Impala. Wait… I recognise that picture. “Supernatural? You watch that show?”

“Heck yes! I love this show!”

“Huh. You don’t strike me as the kind of person that would watch something like that.”

“You kidding? I love the Winchester Brothers! They’re awesome! And, between you and me, I kinda see Tails and I doing stuff like that. I would be Dean, and Tails would be Sam. You know, if monsters were actually real.”

I nod. I could kinda see it too.

“So, see anything you like?” He asks me.

I turn back to the backpacks and keep looking. Suddenly, one catches my eye and I smirk. Oh I could really relate to this one.

“This one.” I pick up the backpack. It’s covered with little green aliens with big black eyes. Around the pack in big letters it says “Humans Are The Worst”.

Sonic looks at it with a bit of skepticism. “I don’t know, Shadow. Don’t you think it might offend some people?”

I roll my eyes at his concern. “Don’t worry about it. It's just a backpack, and the people wouldn’t have made it if it was anything but a joke.”

“Well… I suppose you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right. Now let’s see if we can find some matching pencil cases and pay for all this.”

To our luck, we did find some matching pencil cases for our bags. After paying for everything, the three of us left the store and started heading outside.

“Well, I guess I better get going.” Sonic said to me with a smile. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Likewise, hedgehog.” I nod to him.

His smile somehow grew wider. He said goodbye to you, saying it was a pleasure to meet you, then he turned and ran off.

“Well, looks like you’ll be starting your first day with a friend after all.” You say to me with a smile.

I cringe, but I don’t correct you. Sonic and I may not be friends, but I couldn’t deny it would be nice to have someone I know by my side.

  
  



End file.
